Months after Sefton Council was told its special needs children and their families in Sefton ' continue to be let down ', a much-needed improvement plan is still yet to be revealed.
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspect local areas together, to see how effectively they fulfil their responsibilities for children and young people with special educational needs (SEND).
At one such inspection in Sefton in November 2016, five key areas of weakness were identified in the borough, including poor progress made by some pupils, a "lack of awareness and understanding of health professionals" and not enough communication with parents.
During a revisit in April of this year, inspectors spoke to children and young people, and their parents and carers.
Their findings were published in June - and the letter said the council and local clinical commissioning groups ( CCGs ) had failed to make any significant process in any of the identified areas of serious weakness.
At the time , a council spokesman said: "An action plan [was] being developed; health partners and the council have committed to transforming service provision."
But at a children's safeguarding meeting in Bootle last night, Vicky Buchanan - interim director of children's social care for Sefton, said the improvement plan could still not be shared with the public, or even with members of the council's committee.
Lib Dem councillors Pat Keith and Daniel Lewis both said they were 'aggrieved' at not being able to see what the council and partners had come up with, some four months down the line.
Ms Buchanan said: "[We] understand the need for immediate action here, and we have been working robustly and increased its workforce in necessary departments to address all areas of concern.
"The delays in the plan being approved for sharing are not at our end, this is down to the Department for Education (DfE)."
She also said the council has since seen some improvement: 'not a huge improvement, but some improvement'.
Committee chair Cllr Paula Murphy said she was 'disappointed' with the information given and was expecting 'a bit more meat behind what's going on and what progress is being made'.
The Improvement Plan is expected to be approved and shared more widely in due course.
DfE has been approached for comment.
